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by | Dec 29, 2022

More Lincoln Log Creations

Much to the excitement of the Captain & Rascal, we began our study of Jamestown.

We started with reading from Pocahontas, originally published in 1946.

Next the boys got to color a map of Virginia and label Jamestown. This was added to their History Notebooks.

Then, since this was our last subject of the day– I save it for last, as motivation to get the other subjects done–I pulled out the main source of their excitement.

Our NEW Pohantan Indian Toob and Jamestown Settlers Toob!

We have many different toobs already… But when we were at Michaels a few months ago and I knew we would be studying Early American History this year, I just had to purchase them. The boys were with me and wanted to play with them right away… However, I told them they had to wait till we were studying Jamestown. They didn’t forget 🙂

So during playtime, out came the Lincoln logs once again, and they started making an Indian camp. Here are a couple pictures of the project:

Hummmm…

Mom is wondering if anything can come of this mess!!
Well, look at that! Notice John Smith hanging out with Pocahontas?

And one last photo…


So there you go. More proof that learning can be fun!

Nick-Names

I have been wanting to come up with nick names for the kidlets since I started this blog. Unfortunately, with five, you just can’t say “the boy” and “the girl”. Plus, we don’t feel comfortable using their names online… DS1, DS2, DD1, DD2 and Baby, just seem so cold.

This afternoon school is done, dinner is in the crock pot, dishes and laundry done and put away, the boys are building a Jamestown colony in their bedroom as the girls and baby nap, and I am sitting here with a nice cup of hot cocoa. So, after many suggestions, and much debate, this is what I have come up with:

This is Captain. He pretty much tries to make sure every one is carrying out their duties when mommy is not watching. He can be quite the drill sergeant at times. He is such a tremendous help to me. I love the discussions we have started having as he gets older. He fell asleep in the car the other night, and while I was carrying him in, I couldn’t believe that my baby has gotten so BIG!

This is Rascal. Leave it to him to find some way to be mischievous or make you laugh! He is definitely the dare devil of the family, although Chiquita (*see below) is definitely challenging him for this title!

This is Twinkle Toes. She is our first girl, following the boys, and is our little Irish Princess. Daddy nicknamed her Twinkle Toes as a baby, and we just remembered this nickname recently. It fits her, doesn’t it?

This is Chiquita. She is our Spanish Princess, as she seems to have gotten her looks from her Grandmother. Isn’t she darling! Her uncles on daddy’s side call her our little “wet back” and on my side our little “taco.” Aren’t they nice? However, I think Chiquita is more appropriate. She is our fourth, and is 1/4 Spanish and I’ve been told, “Well, You got one out of four!” I’m just a tad bit jealous of her tan skin, I don’t tan for Anything!

This is Peanut. I am not quite sure why I’m using this. I just can’t think of anything else right now, so this might change. He actually has been the biggest and fastest grower of the clan. And his doctor has even referred to him as the “Paul Bunyan” of the family. Anyways, he is my little Peanut just the same.

So there you have it… Our “little” clan! I’m sure this is not so little for some, but it is probably little in comparison to what God has in store for us!

I guess time will tell…

Fall Fun

The kids were having so much fun outside this afternoon I just had to grab my camera and snap a few pictures… Then… I put my camera back inside and joined in the fun! 

Here’s a slide show of just some of the fun… Enjoy! 
 Slideshow no longer showing. Updated to remove. 🙁

Baby Milestones

Just about 20 minutes ago, he did it! The baby rolled completely over from back to tummy without getting caught up on his arms. He has been trying to roll over for a few weeks, but always gets stuck on his side from his arm. He, however, does NOT like being on his tummy, and started fussing immediately.

*Picture was taken this evening. Don’t you just love his smile? I wish you could hear his laugh!

Completed Columbus Lap Book

Here are the photos I promised of one of the boys’ Christopher Columbus Lap Book. I was really happy with how it turned out, especially being their first one!

Front Cover:

Inside View:

Flap with Acrostic Poem folds up to show even more info:

These are the Land & Water Form Cards that we made to insert into the pockets on the left side of their Lap Books. I didn’t realize there were so many different names for land and water bodies! I was learning right alongside the kids!

Sean was impressed… He’s been checking on me lately, by asking the boys what I taught them in school… Today they were able to show him 🙂

Update: You can find links to what we used here.

Lap Books

I have been wanting to try to make a lap book with the boys for quite some time. 

Today, since we were wrapping up our study of Columbus, the boys were to prepare a presentation for the family. I decided this would be a great opportunity to create a lap book. But how? I have seen tons of cool pictures of lap books on other blogs, but I was unsure how to start. Are there special folders that are needed? Needless to say, my search began… 
I found this awesome link (update: removed) that was very helpful in showing us how to create our lap book. ALL you need is some card stock and plain ol’ file folders. Both of which I had lying around. Pretty colored folders would be nice, but the tan ones I had on hand worked just fine. 
Then as I was searching the net for some activities for the boys to include in their books, I dipped into my leftover home-schooling budget and purchased a subscription to Enchanted Learning. I am constantly running across this site and the pages I am usually wanting to print are for members only. Well… NOW I’m a member 🙂 
We started with a Color by Adding Numbers activity page of Columbus’ three ships. They had to add the fact, and use the sum to find the correct color on the key. Math and art combined, I like that idea! 
Next they learned about Acrostic Poems. They each made their own Acrostic Poem for “Columbus” using this printout. I have a feeling we will be doing more of these in the near future since we all enjoyed creating them VERY much! 

From there the boys learned of the different types of land and water forms, making cards from and online glossary. We then moved on to a Geography Review based on Columbus’ travels that was added to their lap books, along with envelopes of their land & water form cards.

We added a couple fun activities from Enchanted Learning to fill in the gaps and that was that! Their first lap books are completed! 
The boys had a blast, and I liked that I was able to combine: History, Handwriting, Poetry, Art, Geography, Science and Math all in one little lap book. 
Here were the kids responses when I asked, “Did you guys like making these?” 
“I liked learning about Columbus so MUCH!! It was so MUCH FUN!” DS1 
“When can we make another one (lap book), Mom?” DS2 
“I want to eat more cookies.” DD1 
“I WANT COOKIES!!!” DD2 
“Who said ANYTHING about Cookies?!” Mom 
We are now turning the page to the next chapter of our history study… The founding of Jamestown! But right now… I think it might be time for some cookies! 
Stay tuned… I will try and post some pictures later tonight! (It is also time for me to come up with some nicknames for my little ones… DS1, DS2, etc… is getting annoying!)

The Lookout Tower

The other day, Grandma left a comment in regards to the Lincoln Log Village that her oldest grandson wanted her to see. In it she said, “I guess you can watch for forest fires from that lookout tower.” Well… Daddy and the boys decided to build a real lookout tower. Here is the result:

The creativity never ends!

Oooohhh!! A Book Walk!!

I am so excited!! Cay is hosting a Book Walk tomorrow over at Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks. The book that will be given away is none other than “Christmas Mosaic!” I can’t wait to participate. Christmas Mosaic is on my list of “books to buy” and will be released at the end of the month. The publisher describes it as follows:

This sequel to Catholic Mosaic features study guides for 30 Christmas-themed picture books. It includes a booklist of over 200 Christmas titles and 87 of them are annotated. We’ve also added recipes, craft ideas, essays by some of your favorite Catholic-mother authors, and a little Christmas poetry. A Christmas literature treasury!!

SO, if you have a spare moment tomorrow. Hop on over to Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks and send Cay an email. Maybe one of us will be the lucky one to win the book!!

Animals at the Zoo…

This is what DS2 drew yesterday, in an attempt to find “something to do.”
Includes: 1 Lion, 1 Tiger, 1 Flamingo, 1 Turtle, 1 Monkey, and 7 Bees.

Elizabeth Foss Article

I really love reading anything by Elizabeth Foss. She constantly gives encouragement, inspiration and awesome ideas to help in both daily life and homeschooling. Yesterday, Catholic Exchange posted an article by her titled Taking Note of Change. In it she says:

As a Christian community, as women who are called to nurture families, I think it critical that we watch for times of stress and change in the lives of our friends and that we take special care to treat them with love and with grace, much the way we would treat a mother after birth. Women need other women — they need the compassion and the empathy of creatures designed to nurture. We can be for each other the tender midwife who helps a mother welcome a strange, new life.

As mothers we are constantly going through different phases in our lives. It is so nice to know that you have the support and love of other friends and relatives. I have so many dear friends that are always there for me. I hope that I have been there for my friends when God has presented me with the opportunities. You can read the whole article here.


Our Family

Sean & Jessica, Captain-25, Ranger-23, Twinkle Toes-22, Chiquita-20, Snuggles-18, Rose-15, Bud-13, Grace-8 and Joy-6 (blog nicknames)

A Little About Me

Hi! I'm Jessica, a Roman Catholic wife and home educating mother to our nine children. I was home educated myself, along with my eleven younger siblings. I have a special devotion to St. Therese, through whom I have been given much help and many blessings--the beautiful "Shower of Roses" that she has sent my way! Here I will record a few of the blessings I treasure. Please remember that what you see here is just a little glimpse at our lives, so please say a prayer for us, as we continue to strive for holiness.

My Other Blog: Catholic Cuisine

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Prayer of Mothers

Father in heaven, grant me the grace to appreciate the dignity which you have conferred on me. Let me realize that not even the Angels have been blessed with such a privilege—to share in your creative miracle and bring new Saints to heaven. Make me a good mother to all my children after the example of Mary, the Mother of your Son. Through the intercession of Jesus and Mary I ask your continued blessings on my family. Let us all be dedicated to your service on earth and attain the eternal happiness of your kingdom in heaven. Amen.


Our Family

Sean & Jessica, Captain-25, Ranger-23, Twinkle Toes-22, Chiquita-20, Snuggles-18, Rose-15, Bud-13, Grace-8 and Joy-6 (blog nicknames)

A Little About Me

Hi! I'm Jessica, a Roman Catholic wife and home educating mother to our nine children. I was home educated myself, along with my eleven younger siblings. I have a special devotion to St. Therese, through whom I have been given much help and many blessings--the beautiful "Shower of Roses" that she has sent my way! Here I will record a few of the blessings I treasure. Please remember that what you see here is just a little glimpse at our lives, so please say a prayer for us, as we continue to strive for holiness.

My Other Blog: Catholic Cuisine

Please Visit My Sponsors…

This Week's Popular Posts

Shower of Roses Affiliate Links

All About Spelling
All About Reading
All About Reading Giveaways
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Our Advent & Christmas Books

Shower of Roses Gift Guides

Looking for Something?

looking-back

  • 2026 (1)
  • 2025 (31)
  • 2024 (41)
  • 2023 (30)
  • 2022 (48)
  • 2021 (48)
  • 2020 (57)
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  • 2018 (90)
  • 2017 (128)
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  • 2014 (227)
  • 2013 (238)
  • 2012 (308)
  • 2011 (297)
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  • 2009 (486)
  • 2008 (564)
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Posts About:

Shower of Roses Alphabet of Saints

A Papal Unit Study & Lap Book

Shower of Roses Easter Gift Guides



All Saints Party Printables

All original photographs and written material are ©2007-2025 Shower of Roses. I'd love for you to link back to me, but please do not copy or take content from this blog without permission. Click here for my Copyright Terms & Conditions. Thank you for visiting!